In the concluding speech to the annual congress of the European Federation of Wooden Pallet & Packaging Manufacturers (FEFPEB) – Artificial Intelligence: opportunities for the wooden pallet and packaging industry – business development and innovation expert and author Thierry Moubax of Compass AI said approximately 90% of jobs would not exist as we know them 10 years from now.
Mr Moubax said an estimated 20-25% improvement in productivity through AI technologies has been forecast for business. Examples of benefits include freely available analytics and productivity tools; the development of ‘knowledge bots’ that allow all information about a business to be accessed usefully and continually from a single interface; 24-hour customer assistance; powerful marketing tools; the ability to listen to and summarise client meetings into action plans; streamlining the business acquisition, pitching and follow up process; supporting the recruitment of high-quality employees; and many more.
Mr Moubax left delegates with the challenge to explore how technology can improve their own businesses and how to develop and implement bespoke AI-enabled tools.
The 71st FEFPEB congress was organised by Belgian wood trade association Fedustria. It took place between September 25 and 27, 2024 in Ostend, Belgium, opening with a reception at the Thermae Palace hotel and a welcome address from the city’s mayor.
The full day’s business session during the event also saw a presentation by Koen de Leus, chief economist – research at BNP Paribas Fortis, who spoke about the new world economy, and the most significant changes that would impact businesses in the short- to medium-term. This included insights into the advent of ‘slowbalisation’, which would see lower growth in the world economy; and deglobalisation. Other significant forces include extended periods of higher interest rates, climate change, and an ageing population.
There were also updates for delegates on the impact of the forthcoming EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) (implementation of which has since been postponed for 12 months) by FEFPEB’s secretary-general Fons Ceelaert; and Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulations (PPWR) on the wooden pallet and packaging sector by Olalla Trenor Michelena and Nikhil Varghese of Denton Global Advisors, and Luc Van de Vondel of Valipac.
Mr Ceelaert also presented the latest FEFPEB industry statistics on the size, composition, and value of the European pallet and packaging market for 2023, which have been compiled with the help of the organisation’s members.
Paul Brannen, director of public affairs at CEI Bois, spoke about ‘The EU landscape changing – impact on the wood sector’, in the wake of the recent elections to the European Parliament. This includes the introduction of a new sub-target for net zero of 90% by 2040, and initiatives favouring the wood industry, such as the aim of renovating 1.9 million buildings and building lower carbon buildings.
FEFPEB unveiled its revised ‘Packaging from Nature’ campaign during the congress, which included a revamped logo, websites, and information resources. The initiative was first launched in 2011 to promote the environmental, economic, and other benefits of using wooden pallets and packaging, rather than alternatives on the market. The campaign resources are freely available to FEFPEB’s membership to use across Europe.
There were also presentations by Professor Stefaan Walgrave from Antwerp University, who introduced the conference to the complex world of Belgian politics; and Aurélie Maes, CEO of Maes Mattress Ticking, who spoke about succession in a family business, drawing on her own experiences to give advice to delegates about managing this process in their own companies.
The congress, which attracted 230 participants from across Europe and further afield, included visits to local businesses: manufacturers PGS Rodanar Pallets, Nails of Flanders, second-hand pallet facility PGS REC Belgium, lightweight and industrial packaging at Mariasteen, and block manufacturer G-Bloc. There were networking sessions throughout, with a social programme that featured a walking dinner at Ostend’s Fort Napolean, and a concluding gala dinner at De Halve Maan brewery in Bruges.
“The FEFPEB Congress is the essential place for European and international colleagues from the wooden pallet and packaging industry to meet, network, and discuss latest developments in our sector,” said Mr Ceelaert. “Thanks to the hard work of our partner Fedustria, this year’s event in Ostend and Bruges was a great success, giving our membership updates on the regulations and wider economic and technological changes that will impact their businesses in the months and years ahead, with time to consider our shared industry response to these, too.”
The next FEFPEB congress will take place next autumn in Vienna, with the next full congress in two years’ time.
More photographs and full presentations from this year’s FEFPEB congress can be found on the congress website: https://congress.fefpeb.eu/
